


Say My Name

by Darkboudicca



Series: Feral Hearts [1]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: AU, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, F/F, Knotting, Porn With Plot, References to Knotting, Shameless Smut, explicit knotting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-09 01:59:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4329480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkboudicca/pseuds/Darkboudicca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the residents of New Bishop learn that Alpha Sameen Shaw's pack, Catalyst Indigo 5A, will be passing through the area on their way to the mating grounds along the coast for the summer solstice ritual, the Elders round up tributes to offer to the Alpha, as is custom. But the ceremony is aborted when Shaw hones in on someone from her past she never expected to see again, much less in New Bishop of all places.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wait Till You're Announced

**Author's Note:**

> Series of short pieces that will explore fantasy worlds where Shaw is a Werewolf and or Root is a Vampire. Concrit highly appreciated. I'll keep the apron-wringing to a minimum, but this is my first bit of writing in more than 8 years so I'm rusty as a dusty fuck. Title of first chapter from Lorde's, Team.

Root would swear to her dying day that the only reason she was pressed shoulder to shoulder with the fellow unwashed of New Bishop prefecture in the town square, was because Hanna Frey was a hopeless romantic who dragged her to the presentation against her will. That Root had managed (with minimal elbowing and shoving) to commandeer the choicest viewing spot in the section reserved for Bishop's underclass, was not worth mentioning. 

One person, with less sense than the gods granted amoeba, was not dissuaded by Root's glares and hard stare, and dared to approach. She had her contraband taser out and pressed against the idiot's waist, her finger about to depress when Hanna clamped down on her wrist and pushed her hand away.

"Root, put that thing away before you get us kicked out." Hanna whispered.

Root flushed red at Hanna's censuring tone, rolled her eyes and reluctantly stowed the taser in the liner of her jacket. She spread her hands at Hanna as if to say, You happy? 

Hanna furrowed her brow and tipped her head in the interloper's direction.

Root muttered under her breath at the unspoken request. "You can't possibly be serious?"

Hanna jerked her head in his direction again.

Root sighed and pasted on her most congenial smile and turned to the man. 

"Cody, I'm so sorry for overreacting. You know how it is..."

Root squeezed his shoulder and waited for him to catch up.

"Yeah, yeh," he sputtered. "It's not everyday an Alpha of Sameen Shaw's calibre comes to Bishop. I mean..."

Root tuned out his rambling and turned away to face Hanna, one eyebrow raised. 

Hanna beamed and leaned in to nudge shoulders with her. Root felt her annoyance dissipate at the action and grinned back despite herself, and resolved to behave...within reason. 

Movement down in the square caught her eye and she forgot about Cody, about the others pressed at her back, she even briefly forgot about Hanna as Sameen Shaw processed at the front of her retinue up the stairs of city hall.

Root's mouth went dry as she took in the Alpha in the flesh. The magazines she had hidden in her apartment, didn't do the Alpha justice. The scowl was right, and she was shorter than Root had imagined, even with her unauthorized access of Shaw's military file. And she had known, intellectually, that Shaw was beautiful, was renowned for her beauty among Alphas of all sexes, but even still Root was unprepared for the raw sex appeal Shaw commanded. 

 

**** ******  
It took every ounce of Shaw's training not to rip her ceremonial uniform off, shift to her wolf form, and hunt down the source of the scent consuming all her senses. It had begun as a faint tickle, almost like catching something on the air that though faint, she would swear she had smelled it before. Shaw had dismissed it as she waited with Reese, Cole and Grice for the signal to process to the steps of the town hall. 

Reese had looked at her funny and asked if she was feeling nervous, with a sly grin. She had threatened to break his fingers if he kept it up. Which, while shutting him up, didn't stop him, Grice and Cole from smothering grins every time she glanced at them. 

To Shaw's displeasure, the scent amplified as she walked through the parted crowd lining the path to the town hall. She couldn't describe the scent as any one thing if her very life depended on it. But the taste of it rolled over her taste buds and rippled like electricity through her veins. It was sharp and bitter, and also called to her mind a memory of the ocean caught in a ferocious storm: of waves swelling and crashing and sucking all of the color out of the sky before breaking as suddenly as it had erupted. 

Worse of all for Shaw, as she ascended the stairs to greet the elders, no one else seemed to be affected by the scent. 

Thankfully, the mayor, Rupert or Robert or some such, seemed to love the sound of his own voice as he droned endlessly, saving her from having to draw on her limited supply of conversation. 

Shaw slowed her breathing and tried to parse the scent, find a strong note and follow it back to the source.

She ignored Reese's questioning frown as she subtly sniffed the air. There! She had teased out the strongest note, metallic with a hint of something combustible, and the direction it was coming from. 

On the east side of the square, separated by velvet rope and a cadre of guards, was the source. The moment Shaw's gaze locked with on to her, she knew where she had smelled the scent before, and cursed herself. How could she have forgotten the scent that had lingered on her skin, in her hair, in her bed, for almost ten months, five years ago?


	2. We've Not Yet Lost All Our Graces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Shaw met Root and then lost her, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, I've had to up the chapter count from 3 to 4 because the writing is extending beyond my initial outlines.  
> Please note I've updated the tags to include knotting/implied knotting. I wasn't planning to do the whole knotting thing but couldn't help myself during the actual writing. I regret nothing. You must write the smut you wish to see in the world. Concrit always welcome. This bad boy is un'beta'd

_Nueva York, Almost Six Years Ago_

Root smiled in the face of the patronizing custom’s agent and prayed for the interrogation to end quickly.

“Just a few questions before we can clear you for entry into the city, Miss Groves. An unmated, young Omega traveling alone. Your continued safety is our paramount concern.”

“Of course.” Root murmured. She raised her left wrist and flashed the purple band at the agent. “Safety first.”

The woman, a Beta by the green of the bracelet gleaming on the agent’s wrist, smiled. “Good. So, what is the reason for your travel to Nueva York?”

“My mother passed away recently. It was her dying request to have her ashes spread along the Hudson.” 

Root nodded her chin at the urn. In truth, Adele Groves had died over twenty years ago, though it took two decades for her body to realize the truth and die along with her. 

The agent smiled sympathetically. “And you have no other living relations who could accompany you?”

“None. My 23rd birthday’s not for another eight months. Too soon for me to participate in a mating run.”

“And what of your sire?”

Root allowed a sheen of tears to press at her eyes and lowered her chin. “I never knew him.” She allowed her chin to wobble a bit and studied the agent’s reaction under her lowered lids.

As she anticipated, the agent blushed in embarrassment and cleared her throat. The agent looked anywhere but at Root, giving her the perfect opening. Root leaned across the table to snag a tissue and casually brushed her file off the table.

“I’m so sorry,” Root said. 

“No, no, nothing to worry about,” the agent said.

Root leaned over to help gather the papers up casually bumped her bracelet against the agent’s as she chattered to distract the agent.

“I’m so clumsy.”

The agent smiled apologetically. “Not all, not at all. One last question and then you’re free to go. Where will you be staying?”

“Oh, the Tulip Hotel in Little Amsterdam. Here’s a copy of my reservation.”

Root pulled the receipt from her purse and slid it across the desk to the agent.

“Wonderful, the Tulip is very safe for unaccompanied Omegas and they have a strict curfew.” 

Root smiled and nodded along with the agent. 

Satisfied, the agent stamped approved on her forged travel pass and released her, the urn with her mother’s ashes tucked under her arm. 

Freed from customs’ watchful gaze, Root strode through the airport as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself and hailed a cab, her purple bracelet hidden beneath the strap of her carry-on. 

Once in the back of a cab, Root swiftly entered a code on her phone and watched as the light on her bracelet flashed from purple to green, and smiled. 

“You new to the city, Miss? I can’t go anywhere until you scan your bracelet.”

“Sorry,” Root said. “It’s my first time away from home.”

She held the bracelet under the scanner and held her breath until it beeped approval.

“You can go anywhere in the city,” said the cabbie as he pulled away from the curb. “Where to?”

“Chelsea,” said Root, tugging the urn close at her side. She wanted to put as much distance between her and Little Amsterdam as possible without leaving Manhattan. She was on a strict clock. In two hours’ time, the fine folk of New Bishop would realize one of their Omegas was missing. She gave Hanna six hours before she caved and revealed where Root had gone, and then all bets were off. She wasn’t wealthy or from a well-connected family, and most of Bishop’s residents turned their noses up at her mother in judgment. But she was an unmated Omega, and there was no way the elders would let that lie quietly, no matter how much she and they would wish otherwise. No, she was on a clock. And come the morning, she fully intended to be utterly worthless to New Bishop’s economic aspirations. But for that she would need a horny Alpha and a boatload of contraband contraceptives; she considered finding a willing Beta, but discarded the idea quickly. If she was going to take herself out of the mating game completely, she needed to do this right. Root dialed a number from memory.

A woman answered on the third ring. “This is Zoe Morgan, how can I help you?”

Root smiled and settled against the back of the cab. “Pleasure to meet you, Zoe. Call me Root.”

***

 

Zoe Morgan’s reputation for discretion and efficiency were well deserved, Root conceded as she handed over an envelope thick with cash to the woman. The nurse had given her three intramuscular injections of her desired contraception without an ounce of hesitation or batting an eye and declared her free to fuck the entire island without worry. The nurse nodded at Zoe, got in her car and drove away. 

“So,” Zoe said. “I could guess, but you wanna tell me why an Omega from Texas would need the strongest birth control on the market and is carrying around an urn full of scent masker—what’s the urn made of by the way, I’m impressed you were able to get it past airport security?”

Root couldn’t hide her surprise. “You are as good as they say,” Root replied. “But I’m going to keep that to myself, if you don’t mind.”

Zoe shrugged. “Suit yourself. But whatever you’re planning, I guarantee it’ll go smoother if you let me help you. There are places you could go that don’t sell their Omegas to the highest bidding Alpha.”

“Thank you, but you misunderstand me. I intend to return home. I don’t intend to ever be eligible to participate in a run.” There was no way Root could leave Hanna behind. 

“Fair enough. But are you really planning to sit in bar and wait for an alpha to approach you?”

Root narrowed her eyes. “Do you have a better idea? How much extra will it cost me?”

Zoe smiled. “I do a little pro bono from time to time. Let me make a call.”

Root looked at the time on her phone. It was almost 10:45pm, she needed to move this along. She had already received a notification on her phone that New Bishop PD had alerted national law enforcement agencies about her being AWOL. Root nodded at Zoe.

Zoe turned away and dialed a number before pressing her phone to her ear. 

“Joss,” Zoe said. “I have a way for you to repay that debt you owe me.”

***  
Shaw entered the club and checked in on Angler. If she didn’t find an acceptable heat partner tonight, she’d have to call an agency, and she’d really rather not. 

Two women and one guy had caught her eye on the app and she checked them out as she moved through the crowd of party goers. The last woman on her shortlist caught her eye, as she swayed to the music. 

Shaw strode through the crowd of grinding bodies to her. The woman was easily taller than Shaw, with long curling brown hair that fell in waves around her face. Gods, her face. Plump lips painted blood red, a glorious nose and sharp chin. Body lithe and swaying to the beat, a minuscule cobalt blue dress that hugged every delicious curve of the woman’s body. And legs so long that all Shaw could think about as she made her way over, was those same legs wrapped around her as she went down on the woman. 

Shaw didn’t know it was possible for a Beta to have this kind of effect on her senses. Her wolf was itching to take over, to claim the woman before her. 

“Wanna get out of here?” Shaw asked, leaning in to whisper in her ear. 

The brunette smiled and nodded. “You can call me Root.”

***

The cab ride to Shaw’s apartment was the longest of her life. She had never felt this restless before in her own skin during a heat. Her wolf-side close to the surface and restraining a partial shift. 

Root seemed oblivious to the conflict raging in her. To take, to bite, to feast on absolutely every inch of her. 

Shaw pressed her claws in to the side of her thigh farthest away from Root, and breathed deeply as the pain cleared her head. Her new meds seemed ineffective at controlling the heat, part of her heat. The raging hormones that wanted to fuck for days and never come up for air. This should be interesting.

Once in her apartment, Shaw felt like she could finally relax a tiny bit. Now that Root was out of the crowd, away from all the other greedy eyes and grasping hands. 

“How do you want to do this?” Shaw asked. She grabbed two tumblers and a bottle of whiskey and set them down on the granite island.

Root frowned. “You’re the first…alpha I’ve ever been with.” 

Shaw grinned, “I can tell. Your heart’s beating faster than a bullet train.” She slid a finger of whiskey across the counter to Root. 

“Look,” Shaw continued, putting her whiskey down. “I need a heat partner for the next three days. I’d really like it to be you. But if you’re not up for that, this could be tonight only.” 

Root set her tumbler down on the granite counter, undrunk. 

“And what would you do if I only wanted tonight?” Root asked.

Shaw shrugged, blinking away a fantasy of Root spread out on her granite counter, wrecked and begging for more. 

“There are at least six services in the city that could have someone here within ten minutes of you leaving.”

Root raised one eyebrow. “Only six?”

Shaw chuckled and threw back the last of her drink before setting the tumbler down. “Only six I’d use.”

Root spread her arms wide along the length of the counter and tossed her hair as if she was considering what Shaw was asking.

Shaw would deny it if ever asked, but she held her breath the full minute and a half it took before Root made eye contact again.

“Yes,” Root said.

“Yes?” Shaw parroted.

“I’ll stay for the duration of your heat,” Root clarified. 

***

They had gone three rounds and Shaw’s bed was utterly wrecked already, but still Shaw didn’t think she would ever tire of hearing Root say her name. Root was definitely a screamer, and Shaw was thoroughly enjoying pulling whimpers, throaty moans, murmurs and full body screams out of her. 

The first round had been a revelation of quietly escalating moans and whimpers as Shaw ate Root out on her granite countertop, at first gently, her tongue exploring her clit and soft folds, Roots thighs tensing as they squeezed her head. Root’s heels digging into Shaw’s sides. 

Root was dripping wet between her folds, and her taste was a revelation of flavor as Shaw dipped her tongue in and sipped at Root. 

Rounds two and three had seen them stumbling across the apartment to Shaw’s bedroom. Clothing scattered everywhere before collapsing on the bed.

Root was an insatiable lover. Relentless, undaunted and utterly shameless in her expressing her desires. Shaw reveled in the feel of Root’s hands tangling in her hair and holding on tight for the ride. She grinned and slipped her hands under Root’s body and gripped her ass. Shaw buried her face in Root’s cunt and went to town. Shaw’s hunger for Root reminded her of her first real meal after six months of nothing but dry rations. She nibbled and suckled Root’s clit with gusto. Teased her inner walls with her fingers, as she pressed her nose against Root’s thigh to catch her breath. Shaw’s mouth, nose, chin and chest were wet with Roots fluids and she reveled in it, her hunger for the woman beneath her only ratcheting up. 

Root’s hips rolled to meet every thrust of her fingers and Shaw could see the beginnings of her orgasm ripple through her body like electricity. Root’s thighs twitched and squeezed, mimicking the clenching around her fingers. Her body was flushed red all over, mouth open as she groaned, her eyes shut tight as she bowed up pressing Shaw back to her. 

Shaw complied and pressed her lips around Root’s clit and sucked hard. She shuddered as Root screamed her name. Shaw could feel her wolf wanting to throw its head back and howl its satisfaction. With each orgasm Shaw pulled from Root, her own control over her wolf slipped. She could feel the shift wanting to roll over her body. And her wolf, normally perfectly in sync and under her control, become increasingly restive the longer they fucked. 

Now, Root was exploring Shaw’s body, delicately suckling at her folds and driving her out of her mind every time her nose brushed her clit. Turnabout really was fair play. Every inch of Shaw was tense, and she had long given up on trying to keep her claws unshifted. Root had pulled Shaw up to straddle her face after their fourth go-round. The position was the only thing saving Shaw’s lack of composure from being revealed for the time being. Her claws were buried in the mattress above Root’s head as she struggled to get herself under control. 

The moment Root sucked at her clit, Shaw knew any pretense she had of maintaining her control was gone. 

“RooRooRoot, wait. Stop.” Shaw panted.

Root stopped immediately and looked up at her. “What’s wrong.”

Shaw groaned and withdrew her claws from the mattress before pressing her palms against the bed and rolling off to the side. She collapsed on her back beside Root, her chest heaving and eyes shut tight. Shaw pressed the heel of her right palm hard against her pubic bone.

“Nothing’s…wrong, exactly,” said Shaw. She lifted her left claws up for Root to see.

“I’m having a more sensitive heat than usual. That or the docs need to up the dosage on my suppressant,” Shaw shrugged, her breathing finally back under control. “Plus, if you kept on sucking at my clit I’m pretty sure I would have knotted in your mouth.”

“What?”

Shaw turned to look at Root. “I’m an alpha And a wolf-shifter so knotting’s kind’ve a biological imperative.”

Root’s eyes widened and Shaw hastened to reassure her. “I’m on the meds. I’ve never knotted someone without permission before. I’ve never knotted anyone period.”

Root seemed to be in a daze.

“It’ll pass. I just need fifteen minutes and we can pretend like this never happened.”

Shaw clamped her mouth shut. She didn’t know why she felt the need to babble, but she desperately didn’t want Root to leave. She had never felt this stupid over someone during one of her heats before and she couldn’t even bring herself to hate it. It must be the new meds the ISA have me on, Shaw thought. 

“What if. What if I don’t want it to pass? What if want you to knot me?” 

Shaw froze. “Root,” she began. 

But Root cut her off with a finger pressed against her lips.

“This doesn’t have to be a thing, sweetie. I’m not some Omega who’s going to pant after you. This is two consenting adults engaging in consequences-less sex. And I want you to knot me if you want to knot me.”

Shaw met and held Root’s gaze with her own for several long minutes. Root didn’t break eye contact once, merely blinking calmly. 

“Are you sure?” Shaw asked, voice husky. Her wolf was practically preening and rearing to go with Root’s pronouncement. 

Root smirked. “Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters after this one, with more from Root's POV and what all went down after that she doesn't remember Shaw. Promise. I had hoped to cover that in this but the chapter got away from me. Thanks for reading! And sorry for it being later than I planned.


	3. The Hounds Will Stay in Chains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long my lovelies. It's the usual song: life, new job, etc. I do intend to finish this fic though, so rest assured of that. 
> 
> Ahoy, there be explicit knotting coming. Feel free to skip the middle third if that's not your thing.

Almost 6 years ago, Nueva York

Root had to admit that doing things Zoe Morgan's way were more effective and more efficient. Where she had been planning to take up with whichever alpha she came across, she had fairly more choice now. Zoe's connections with the NYPD had bought her considerably more time, meaning she could afford to be a little choosy. And the app Zoe had set her up on meant she could preview potential candidates without desperation riding her decisions. No less than 5 alphas and a handful of betas had chosen her fake profile for the top of their lists and within an hour Zoe had delivered her their entire life story and unearthed every skeleton in their proverbial closet. Root had to admit that she and Zoe would make a pretty damn good team if she didn't need to return to New Bishop. She could practically taste the kind of influence they could build together, with Root's technical skills and Zoe's vast information network.  
But Hanna had always meant more to Root than the sum of all her ambitions. 

Root cast aside her worries and contented herself with swaying to the music in the middle of the dance floor at The Howl nightclub and bar. None of the other patrons paid her any mind. A few had offered to buy her drinks, which she turned down. She wanted to be as clear headed as possible when Sameen Shaw showed up. 

Shaw had quickly risen to number one on Root's shortlist of likely candidates. The woman had an impressive military background for someone so young. But it was her Axis II personality disorder and werewolf heritage that intrigued Root more. Shaw clearly had a strong sense of responsibility and loyalty coupled with impeccably channeled strength that Root admired, despite her disdain for the government. It didn't hurt that Shaw's grainy enlistment photo revealed a face blessed by the gods themselves. Root had briefly debated the wisdom of having sex with someone she could be attracted to and decided the pros far outweighed the cons. 

Nothing less than a partial bond with an alpha would disqualify her from ever being forced into a mating run. Being attracted to said alpha would only make the process easier on this side of things. 

Root declined the other candidates and settled in to wait for Shaw's arrival. 

It was 1am before Root felt a heated gaze assessing her from somewhere in the club. She smirked and continued swaying to the beat. The crowd around her parted seamlessly and she watched Shaw approach her beneath lowered lids. 

Shaw’s approach was confident, controlled. She never took her eyes off Root as she approached. Everyone around her seemed to melt out of her way instinctively. Shaw walked right into her personal space but she didn’t touch her, though they were a hairsbreadth apart. Root was achingly aware of the tiny breadth of space between them, as gooseflesh rippled along her skin despite the heat.

“Call me Root,” she said as Shaw escorted her out of the club.

XXX

She was nervous on the ride over to Shaw’s apartment and grateful the other woman showed no signs of wanting to talk. Root’s phone vibrated with a message from Zoe: _you have four days—have fun!_

From Zoe’s dossier on Shaw, Root knew she was on the brink of her heat. But the alpha acted nothing like Root imagined an alpha in heat would be like. Nothing like the horror stories from health class. 

Root knew little about Were’s, only that they were stronger than the average human, with a heightened sense of smell. There were no Were shifters in Bishop, or the surrounding towns. 

She wondered what she smelled like to Shaw. Whether the suppressants she had taken pains to acquire would hold up. So far Shaw didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

For her part, Root could smell Shaw’s alpha pheromones, and while the suppressants kept her from reducing to a pile of incoherent mush, she still felt the urge to strip naked in the cab, climb onto Shaw’s lap and ride her to oblivion.

Root snuck glances at Shaw in the dim lights of the cab. Shaw’s lips were pursed and her gaze fixed out the window. She seemed to be taking short shallow breaths. Maybe she was affected by Root’s closeness as Root was by her. But the alpha never pounced. Root wondered what it would take to make Sameen Shaw lose her grasp on control. She wondered if she would find out. She hoped she would be the cause.

XXX

Sex with Sameen Shaw was…a revelation for Root. Shaw’s scent filled her senses, her barest touch tightened something inside Root until she was so tightly wound she thought she would shatter at the next touch. Her breasts were wet and aching from Shaw’s bites, pinches and suckles. And Shaw’s mouth. By all the gods, Shaw’s mouth was sin and solace. Driving her to the brink, and drawing her back down to earth. 

She had worried she wouldn’t be able to keep up with Shaw for three whole days, but four rounds in and Root’s mind was a steady litany of more, more, more.

They were _good_together. So good that Root wondered if they’d be this compatible without the alpha and omega pheromones driving them.

Shaw’s revelation about her knot brought Root back to earth and she remembered why she was in bed with her. Why despite how good Sameen worked her body, she was there in the first place. _Knotting_. That hadn’t been part of Zoe’s files. 

Despite her uncertainty, Root knew one thing…letting Shaw knot her would mark her forever as tainted goods. The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

What if want you to knot me?” Root said.  
“Root,” Shaw began.

But Root cut her off with a finger pressed against her lips. Root felt the inevitability of this moment fall like a veil around her and she leaned into it.

“This doesn’t have to be a thing, sweetie. I’m not some Omega who’s going to pant after you. This is two consenting adults engaging in consequences-less sex. And I want you to knot me if you want to knot me.”

Shaw met and held Root’s gaze with her own for several long minutes. Root didn’t break eye contact once, merely blinking calmly.

“Are you sure?” Shaw asked.

Root smirked. “Absolutely.”

Shaw held her gaze for what felt like forever before nodding her head minutely in acceptance.

“It’ll be easier for you if you’re on top,”Shaw said. 

Root couldn’t help feeling immensely powerful as she felt Shaw shudder beneath her as she rolled astride Shaw, her legs straddling Shaw’s body.

Shaw hissed and closed her eyes as Root’s mons brushed against hers.

Root was merciless and deliberately ground her labia against Shaw’s clit. 

“Waitwaitwait,” Shaw grunted.

But Root was undeterred, even as Shaw gripped her waist and attempted to slow the grinding of her hips. Root was tired of waiting, of holding off. She could feel Shaw’s clit thickening with each brush of her labia. She wanted this. She wanted Sameen Shaw at her mercy and falling apart beneath her and she wanted it now.

“Come on Shaw…take what’s yours,” Root said. 

Shaw’s eyes snapped open at her taunt, her irises ringed with gold. 

Root could only gasp and hold on for dear life as Shaw flipped her onto her back and slipped her burgeoning clit inside her. Root wrapped her legs around Shaw as their bodies rocked together. 

“Yesyesyes” Root panted into Shaw’s shoulders. She rolled her hips up to meet every one of Shaw’s thrusts, her walls clamping around her and trying to keep Shaw in her body. Shaw’s clit thickened with each thrust, until Shaw couldn’t pull out any more. Her knot thick and full inside Root, and pressing unerringly against her g-spot. 

Root whimpered at the fullness. She shifted her hips a tiny bit to get more comfortable.

“By the gods, Root stop moving,” Shaw gasped against her chest.

Root shifted again and gasped as Shaw’s knot dragged deliciously against her g-spot. 

Shaw groaned and twitched as her knot expanded even more. She ground her hips in slow rolls against Root.

“Wider, spread your legs wider,” Shaw said. She strained not to collapse her weight against Root and just rut against her until she came. 

Root tilted her pelvis up as she spread her legs wider to accommodate Shaw between her thighs. _There_. The change in position was everything. 

Root rolled her hips against Shaw’s tight thrusts, chasing the sparks that raced through her body as Shaw’s knot pressed tight and hot at her g-spot.

Root screamed Shaw’s name as her orgasm rippled, hot and electric through her body. She could feel Shaw’s release pulsing inside her, mixing with her own fluids. 

Shaw rolled them to the side, still locked together, her hips pumping minutely as Root came down from her orgasm. 

Shaw brushed her hair away from her face and pressed kisses against her eyelids, cheeks and lips.

“Thank you,” she said.

Root nodded, her eyes heavy, and promptly fell asleep.

 

XXX

On the morning of the forth day, Root awoke before Shaw. She watched Shaw sleep for a few lingering minutes before gently easing herself out from beneath Shaw’s thigh thrown across her body. 

Shaw’s heat had finally broken in the wee hours before dawn. Her head was cool, and the gold that ringed her eyes had disappeared leaving them brown and beautiful. 

Root suppressed a groan as she stood up. Her body ached everywhere. That first knotting had broken a dam inside Shaw, and she had ridden Root hard and long as her heat intensified, barely stopping to eat bites of food between rounds. 

Shaw seemed to think Root should be able to eat and drink just fine with a knot inside her and Shaw playing with her breasts. Root had given up on solid food and settled for the flavored ice chips Shaw kept in her freezer.

Root shook her head to clear her thoughts of the last three days. She gathered her clothing and dressed quickly and quietly in Shaw’s living room. She looked around one last time before slipping out of the door. She pulled it shut and leaned against it. Her time was up. 

Root’s phone buzzed as she stood there trying to will her body to walk away.

Only one person had this number. Root raised the phone to her ear and answered.

“Zoe, I don’t know if I can do this.”

Zoe was firm. “There’s a car waiting for you outside. This is what you wanted Root. Now walk.”

Root walked on slow trembling legs down the four flights of stairs, each step away from Shaw felt like it was ripping her apart.

_It’s just hormones_she repeated over and over. _It doesn’t mean anything. This isn’t you. Think of Hanna_.

But no matter how she tried to diminish what she was feeling, there was no doubt in Root’s mind that she would be feeling the effects of this bond for a long time. 

Somehow she made it out of the building without running into anyone and into the waiting car. The driver seemed relieved to bundle her into the car. She wrapped a blanket around Root.

“I’m officer Carter, you’re going to be okay.”

Root ignored her and curled tighter into a corner of the car. The woman swore before getting into the front and pulling away from the curb. The green of her bracelet had faded back to it’s original purple. Only now, instead of a bright purple filling the face of the band, more than half was clear, pure gold. 

 

XXX

Root didn’t, couldn’t say a word as Carter handed her over to the authorities. They tried to get her to talk on the flight back to Bishop. Kept asking her for a name over and over, but Root said nothing. Not even when they marched her off the plane, and delivered her to the elders. 

Barbara Russell took one whiff of her and went red.  
“You stupid girl!” Barbara snarled and slapped Root across her face. 

Despite feeling like her soul had been ripped from her with each mile between her and Shaw, Barbara Russell’s slap brought her back to the present.

Root looked at the horrified expressions on the elders’ faces and laughed. 

To be continued…


	4. Look Upon Your Graces and She'll Send the Call Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I swear I haven't abandoned this fic. The long hiatus got me down and then I fell head over feet into another fandom and got seriously distracted from this.

Six years Ago - New Bishop Prefecture

The Elders had been at their rather rudimentary and unimaginative form of torture for the last three weeks: isolation, minimal, yet crappy food, and shock therapy. Root had taken to groaning perfunctorily as her body seized under each pulse of electricity. Barbara Russell seemed to enjoy watching her convulse, and had denied the doctor’s request to give her a muscle relaxant to prevent injury during the seizures. Elder DiSilva seemed to have a weak stomach for this kind of thing and often interrupted Barbara’s sessions with Root.

“Enough,” DiSilva said. 

The doctor, or idiot number three as Root had taken to calling him in her head, immediately shut off the pulse. 

DiSilva inched closer to the bed, his wrinkled features pinched. “Tell us who defiled you and this will end.”

“Sure,” Root gasped. “Which one? Tom, or Jarrod, or Steve—I liked Steve, he was a cutie and so sweet. And then there was Daniel, and Jake…or Jake then Daniel. No, I remember now, Jake and Daniel at the same time…they liked to share everything. Or maybe you want to know about Marcus, he was into some strange stuff, but not a bad person. Then there’s Will who had a really big…”

“She’s lying!” Barbara said. Her face had turned a pleasing shade of purple as Root rambled.

Root pouted. “Now that’s not very nice.”

DiSilva heaved a sigh. “Clearly one of them made an impression or you wouldn’t have a partial bond.” 

Root shrugged. “I was a little too busy to notice any of that at the time.”

Barbara Russell took a menacing step towards her and had to be waved off by DiSilva. Root barely managed to keep a feral grin off her face and forced herself to continue looking contrite.

“What a waste,” DiSilva intoned. “No one will have you now. Not like this. At least your mother got herself pregnant when she ran off…you couldn’t even get that right.” 

Root said nothing.

A calculating look crossed DiSilva’s face. “Alright, you won’t tell us what we want to know, fine. No more electroshock therapy. Keep her in solitary and take her off the suppressants. Let’s see how long your stubbornness lasts when there’s nothing inhibiting the pain of separation between you and your Alpha.

*****  
Six Years Ago - Nueva York

Sameen Shaw slapped Harold’s hand away as he attempted to shine his pen light at her pupils for the umpteenth time. 

“How many more tests and protocols do I have to endure before I can get out of here, Finch?” Shaw asked through gritted teeth. “Every minute we waste in here is another minute Root’s trail is allowed to go cold.”

“I’m afraid Control has grounded you for the time being, Agent Shaw. You’re suffering the effects of a partial bond, and as such are a potential danger to others in this state.” Harold limped over to his laptop and entered the latest updates on Shaw’s condition. 

Shaw growled and sank her claws into the pad of the infirmary bed.

“Patience, Agent Shaw. Agent Hersh assures me that in situations like these, the Elders responsible for the Omega always come forward to demand a mating ceremony. And as you are quite the catch, this situation should be no different.”

“Except it’s been three weeks, Finch, with no sign of Root or anyone claiming to represent her.” Three agonizing weeks since Shaw had woken up alone in her bed, drenched in sweat, a pain the likes of which she’d never before experienced radiating through her skull, and Root’s scent drowning her senses.   
She hadn’t even realized she had fully shifted and was running through the city chasing Root’s scent, until Cole and Grice had tackled her halfway across the East River Bridge. Apparently, it had taken the two of them and three strike teams to subdue her and drag her back to base. 

Shaw had little recollection of the fight, even now weeks later. Everyone from Control to Hersh to even Finch thought Shaw had been setup to be forced into a mating. That Root’s people would appear to demand restitution for deflowering and Omega. And Root was definitely an Omega, despite the lengths she or her people had gone to to hide that fact. But with each day that passed, Shaw’s doubts began to mount. Root was unlike any Omega she had ever encountered. She didn’t know how she knew, but she would swear that no force on earth could make Root do anything she didn’t already want to. 

“Where are you?” Shaw mumbled under her breath. 

To be continued…


	5. Dancing Around the Lies We Tell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update is so short, but I wanted to get something up tonight. I think this is the last chapter in the past, so updates after this will see the story pick up from where it began in chapter 1. Thanks for sticking with me and for all the lovely comments. I will be responding to those soon. Hugs.

New Bishop Prefecture, Six Years Ago

There was good reason Elders worked quickly to mate partial bonded pairs, the pain of separation, of an incomplete bond, was excruciating. And it was even worse on an Omega, often driving individuals mad. Root knew first hand from growing up around her shell of a mother, what an incomplete bond could do to an Omega. Unlike her mother, she had no intention of spending the rest of her life as an empty vessel, slave to her biology and outmoded customs. 

Russell and DiSilva had finally left her alone to languish without suppressants dulling the pain of her separation from Shaw, for what seemed like an eternity…though the pitiful bits of light that filtered into her cell through the narrow windows told her senses that probably only a week had passed since her last interrogation. 

She had spent each moment since the suppressants faded from her system, curled up on the floor of her cell, while she relived her memories of her time in Shaw’s bed. Every single nerve ending in her body screamed, and no position yielded even an inch of comfort to her body.

Root had taken to reciting pi to distract herself from the pain.   
“…18194295559619—“ She paused in her recitation as the door to her room opened.

“Oh my god,” Hanna cried as she approached her and knelt beside Root’s prone form. 

Root tried to smile, but she was sure all she could manage was a grimace as she looked up at Hanna’s teary eyes.

“I’m alright, banana,” she whispered.

Hanna made a face at her childhood nickname, and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

“We don’t have a lot of time, Sam,” Hanna said. “Dad convinced DiSilva to let me talk to you, convince you to tell me the name of the Alpha who…did this to you.”

Root started to shake her head and stopped as the movement sent shards of pain through her body. “Not telling, banana.”

Hanna caressed Root’s hair. “You have to tell. Or they’ll leave you here to go mad…or worse.” 

Root pressed her cheek against the cool concrete and took up her recitation like Hanna had never arrived. “8946767837449…”

Hanna closed her eyes, praying for strength for what was to come. She had promised Root months ago that she wouldn’t fail her when the time came, no matter how much she disagreed with Root’s chosen path. But some instinct stayed her hand as she slipped the syringe out of her boot.

She leaned in close to Root, syringe in one hand, ready to plunge it into the flesh below her hairline. Softly, deliberately, she made eye contact. “Root, who was it?”

Root paused and smiled the saddest smile Hanna had ever seen. “Her name means precious. I didn’t plan for that. Didn’t plan for Sameen…”

Hanna inserted the syringe and depressed the plunger as quickly as she could. Glad for the steadiness of her hands despite her inner trembling. She capped the spent syringe and tucked it back into her boot and waited. 

Root began to seize within a matter of seconds. Hanna counted the time necessary on her watch while her heart broke with each passing second. Then once foam began to spill from Root’s mouth she set the course in motion.

“HELP! Help, something’s wrong!” Hanna screamed.

Elder DiSilva screamed questions at her while the doctors swarmed Root and took her away. 

*****  
Nueva York

Sameen jerked awake, clutching at her chest. It felt as if someone had stabbed her repeatedly in her heart with a jagged blade. 

“Agent Shaw are you all right?” Harold asked.

The machines she was hooked up to were beeping like crazy. 

“I can’t feel her anymore, Finch.”

To Be Continued…


	6. And Everyone's Competing for A Love They Won't Receive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaw confronts Root

Present Day - New Bishop Prefecture

 

On _the east side of the square, separated by velvet rope and a cadre of guards, was the source. The moment Shaw's gaze locked on to her, she knew where she had smelled the scent before, and cursed herself.  How could she have forgotten the scent that had lingered on her skin, in her hair, and in her bed, for almost ten months five years ago?_

Shaw pushed her way through the crowd, uncaring of the shocked murmurs around her and the alarmed muttering she of the Elders. She had to get to her. She had to make sure her eyes weren't fooling her.

Shaw didn't take her eyes off her for a second, and yet she could feel Reese, Grice, and Cole following along behind making sure no one interfered or slowed down her passage. 

Shaw was breaking every protocol but she didn't care. Guards rushed at her and Reese or Grice or Cole, dispatched them quickly with a punch or a kick. None of them made it within a inch of Shaw. She leaped over the cordon. Omegas shrieked and fled from her, a few betas slinked out of her path until only one woman stood in front of her. She was smirking. 

"Root?" Shaw said with disbelief. She was as beautiful now as she had been five years ago. Root wore black skinny jeans, high heeled boots and a red chiffon blouse. Somehow Shaw knew the choice of red was deliberate on her part. Only the offerings were supposed to wear any color to these things. Everyone else wore black or grey. And there Root was, a blood red blouse openly flouting the Elders' rules.

Root's smirk deepened and she leered openly at Shaw. "You've heard of me?"

Shaw was stunned. Root didn't seem surprised, or embarassed, or anything except curious to see her. 

"I thought you were dead," Shaw said.

Root quirked an eyebrow. "Interesting choice of pickup line, but I can work with it," she quipped.

Shaw frowned. She took a step closer to Root.

A pale,  young woman with brown curly hair, a few years older than Root from the looks of her, stepped to Root's side.

"Uh, maybe we should take this somewhere else. I can explain..." she gestured at Root, "All of this."

"Who're you?" Shaw could smell the woman's scent on Root but it was obvious that they weren't lovers.

The woman's gaze darted past Shaw.

"I promise I'll explain, but we need to leave Right now!"

Shaw looked behind her. The Elders had brought in reinforcements. Easily two dozen guards were bearing down on their position. 

Shaw made eye contact with Reese and he gave her the barest hint of a nod. "Go, we'll deal with this."

Shaw followed the woman's lead as the three of them ducked down a dizzying series of alleys. Root seemed supremely unconcerned by all of it. When they finally ducked through a doorway and the woman declared them safe. 

Root said, "You're even hotter than your pictures." 

 

To be continued...

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short, and Sorry this took so long. Motherhood and life are kicking my butt. This will be finished, by the heavens!

**Author's Note:**

> This is mostly an excuse to write smut. I've been increasingly frustrated, heh, by the dearth of smut in Root/Shaw fic so my hope is that if I glut the market with some poorly written smut (this is not a shameless cry for attention and validation, promise!) more people will start contributing smut, which will birth a kink meme, and eventually there will be over 2000 smutty mcsmutfest fics for those readers who, like me, are THIRSTING for Explicit rated fic and have read the current crop at least 8 times. At which point my work will be done. Anyway, I'll be updating/posting new fic by 7pm EDT/EST every Sunday until such time as there is enough smut to capsize a small canoe.


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